The shockwave from the Room of Requirement blasted all five of them straight out the door. For a moment, everyone was sprawled across the floor—everyone except Alice, who managed to land steadily thanks to the magical flying sword lifting her weight.
"What just happened…?" Ron groaned as he got up, rubbing the spot where his head had smacked the ground.
Theodore and Harry both shook their heads—they were just as clueless.
Twist, however, was staring at the flying sword in Alice's hand with a strange expression.
"It actually triggered a reaction from the Room of Requirement?"
All four immediately turned to look at her.
Alice asked, "You know why?"
"I can guess a little. The Room of Requirement is… unusual. You can practically think of it as a living creature with a will of its own. So I think the appearance of the magical flying sword triggered a defensive reaction."
"It probably sensed the sword's presence inside it as a threat."
"That's why I'm shocked—our flying sword was powerful enough to make the Room of Requirement react."
That made sense to everyone now. But Alice considered it for a moment and replied casually:
"I think it's pretty normal. Harry's survival against You-Know-Who was one of a kind—no one else ever walked away from the Dark Lord. Ron's loyalty and courage were strong enough that even Neville recognized them. As for my soul abilities, I won't tell you where they come from, but they're definitely one of a kind."
"And your Ancient Runes talent is the best I could find. Theodore's control over potion tempering is something Professor Snape himself acknowledged. We're all rising stars in our own fields. Creating something like a flying sword isn't strange at all."
Alice managed to compliment all five of them in one breath.
Harry was still dazed from what he'd witnessed earlier. Ron stood straighter, proud. Twist smiled sweetly at Alice. Theodore fell into deep thought.
Looking at the four of them drifting into their own thoughts, Alice suddenly said:
"Want me to show you a sword dance?"
"I think using this magical flying sword will make for a pretty good display."
That snapped everyone back to attention.
Twist nodded quickly, excited. "Yes! I've never seen your sword dance in person. The first-years keep talking about it—apparently it's beautiful!"
Ron cut in, "Not just beautiful. Neville says it's got real killing power. If you get too close, even a wizard could get hurt."
Alice waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense. It's just a sword dance for fitness."
They headed out into the courtyard. Snow blanketed the ground, crisp and white. Their footsteps left a trail behind them.
A boy's voice rang out.
"Harry? Ron? Why are you hanging around with Ravenclaws and Slytherins?"
Ron's twin brothers—Fred and George Weasley—were approaching.
Alice knew their names, but like most people, she couldn't tell which was which.
Ron, however, had no trouble. He glared.
"Don't talk like that. They're our friends."
"Oooh, friends. Ron has friends from other Houses now," Fred teased dramatically. Ron's ears went scarlet.
"What are you all doing?"
"Alice said she'll show us her sword dance," Ron answered, glancing at her with a hint of uncertainty.
Alice nodded to confirm.
Ron continued, "We built a magical flying sword, and Alice is going to use it for the dance."
"A magical flying sword!?" the twins exclaimed in unison.
"We're coming too!"
Alice didn't mind—people were going to find out eventually anyway.
Theodore, however, frowned slightly. "You can watch, but you must not tell anyone about the flying sword yet. We still need to consider the implications."
Fred ruffled Ron's hair—Ron dodged—but Fred only laughed and clapped his hands.
"Spoken like a true Slytherin."
George snickered. "You sound just like Professor Snape."
The twins laughed and high-fived.
Theodore stiffened at that, ready to snap back—
when the sword in Alice's hand rang sharply.
Clang!
The sudden note drew the twins' attention immediately.
George reached out to touch it—
Clang!
A sharper tone rang out, and a thin line of blood appeared on his hand.
Twist lifted her chin proudly toward Theodore. The twins' earlier teasing annoyed her, and seeing the sword retaliate was satisfying.
"I inscribed the Rune for Sharpness on the blade," she explained. "Anyone the sword doesn't recognize will trigger a counterstrike."
George didn't look offended at all. If anything, he stared at the sword with even more fascination.
Theodore sighed, suddenly understanding the twins better.
Chatting and teasing, the group reached the open space where Alice usually trained.
At Alice's signal, everyone stepped well back.
Holding the magical flying sword, Alice drew a slow breath and began to move.
As the sword dance unfurled, Harry and Ron—who had seen it many times—glanced at each other.
"This one's different," Harry said quietly.
"Huh?"
Everyone turned to him in confusion.
"This time… she has an aura. Look at the snow around her feet. Isn't it trembling?"
They looked—and sure enough, the snow around Alice was quivering.
Walking in snow never caused that.
Soon they noticed something else.
Alice's footsteps stopped leaving prints.
And then they all understood.
"Alice is flying!"
Yes—while dancing, Alice was rising off the ground.
Just a few centimeters, but still—she wasn't using her wand.
She was flying using the sword alone.
"Our flying sword might have worked!" Theodore exclaimed.
Then he immediately shook his head.
"No—Alice told me the real flying sword in her mind is something you stand on to fly, not this."
But even so—this was the closest they'd come.
And for the first time, they were witnessing—
Alice's complete sword dance.